OhGromit

It was season one. Yeah, surprised this crusty old issue got dragged out with such passion, this horse died 7 years ago!

Here's what Luann said. (This was in SEASON ONE btw!)... She said to Bethenny, in the backseat of the car after just being introduced to the driver as Luann, "if you introduce me to, like a driver, it's like, 'Mrs. de Lesseps.' You know, like kids? you know, like with kids, you know?" Okay, so that's arrogant and condescending. And that is how it went down. Look it up on hulu if you want.

Man, no really big trip this year, then! Miami, the Berkshires, those are nothing side-trips by RHONY standards. The big vacay is the centerpiece- ala Morocco, St. wherever, Turkey Cakeholes... I can't believe they're going to finish a season of RHONY without a big glamorous trip. Bummed!

Luann has never been just a countess; she became The Countess all on her own, mah friends. She lives for that shiz. And it became her thing, ala Asian Jewish Jules. Pre-Count, Luann was beautiful and knew how to act the part (i.e., she's a natural snob), so she got the role right away, no need for a call-back. And she clung to that role as long as she could (really, until it didn't pay). Compare her with Carole, technically a princess, but never The Princess.

spirit animal. sigh.

If someone wanted me to call them "Mrs." because I was just a driver and it's what children call them, I'd find it really damned disrespectful.

Look, Luann is frequently arrogant. The "you introduced me to the driver as Luann... it's Mrs. de Lesseps... you know, like with children" was one of her most arrogant moments. It is what it is.

Re king of Greece, ditto to the poster who pointed out it's a long-deposed monarchy. It's like a kind of fame, but it's like claiming you dined with the president of the U.S. when actually it's the grandson of Woodrow Wilson. I don't know a ton about the former Greek monarchs. But I did go to school with Princess Olga of Greece-- she was in my class in college. That was the name she went by at the time, no last name, just "Princess Olga of Greece." Random meaningless tidbit.

What kings did she dine with? I'm honestly curious.

Naw, witness while I present the other side of the evidence: How could Kyle *not* know what's happening on RHONY, another hugely popular RH franchise? Or about that story line, which involves Bethenny, who Kyle asked to host a party for the RHOBH laydees? Former help or no (and I'm not sure it was really THAT kind of servile relationship since they're basically the same age), Kyle put her relationship with B front and center.

"goes to work"? Since when does Kelly go to work, LOL? And why with her dog when she has a huge apartment...

Bethenny has had lots of photo ops with Brynn. (They've been discussed previously on this board, maybe under the B tag.) IMO she was cannily trying to use her daughter to show the world "look at me, I'm such a mommy." Photo ops staged (IMO) outside, in front of paparazzi, where she fed Brynn ice cream, and the most gag-worthy was where Bethenny had her and Brynn do the intertwining arms while feeding each other thing that you ordinarily see couples do when they're trying to be romantic (with champagne flutes, etc.). IMO IMO IMO, I'm sure someone will want to burn me on this, but I go deep in my Bethenny investigations and it's what I think. Another thing- just like Bethenny is controlling in her regular life (her closet, anyone? her hospital operating-room-like apartment? her filing system for her bathing suits and shoes?), of course she is controlling with her daughter. It's just who she is at this point. I frankly think if I were Brynn I would really look forward to time with my daddy or grandparents. Time when I can eat a damned hot dog or not have to worry about spilling on my mommy's white rug.

Agree, they sit too high on her chest, forming two pitcher's mounds. She never needed them, but she was feeling desperate (which makes me so sad for her cause I kind of love our crazy crazy Ramona). And if she was gonna get em, she needed Jax to be in charge (teardrops! natural teardrops!).

actually you miss SonJa with a sexy J! ;-)

However disappointed I may be in Bethenny -- I was a huge fan around RHONY Season 3 and BEA times, and I'm sad to see how she's devolved into such a hard, controlling person-- I will always feel sorry for her for the kind of mother she has. Bernadette is vicious and incredibly cold. (Her latest "interview" with Radar Online is below.) She really seems terrifying to me. Yes, Bethenny said stuff about her, and that sucks, but Bernadette calls Bethenny "the mother"-- so incredibly unfeeling. If she's actually an awesome woman, and everything Bethenny said about her was wrong, she would seem kind, she would be trying to mend fences. Instead, she's escalating the war. Ugh! http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/bethenny-frankel-mom-bernadette-birk-tells-all/

BTW if anyone out there is as curious (okay, obsessed!) as I am about what happened to Bethenny's marriage, insight into Bethenny, etc etc, Bethenny Getting Married and both seasons of Bethenny Ever After are available for digital streaming on Amazon. Works like a charm, I highly recommend watching stuff using Amazon. (Someone messaged and asked me about them-- figured others might be curious as well.)

I know a few people have posted on here that Jason's folks wanted to see them every weekend-- that's not correct. It was every other weekend at first. I've watched the BGM and BEA seasons more than once (including a repeat watch recently)-- they eventually settled on a pattern that was less than that, I believe-- I'd have to go back to the "record" and check to be sure. ANYHOW they were a definitely excited and somewhat clingy/needy, but very, very kind and not at all horrible.

I gotta disagree with you on the mom! First of all, both the mom AND the dad were really attached to Brynn. So if you go there with the mom, you gotta be even handed and call the dad out for the same thing. BOTH of them were saying things about keeping Brynn with them over the summer, what have you-- not just the mom. Second, I'm gonna disagree with you halvsy-halvsy. The mom and the dad both lost a child. The problem was that they seemed to have a lot more grieving to do-- i.e. not that you ever get over it, but I think they kept avoiding finishing off more grief by keeping way way attached to Jason, and then Brynn. I'm NOT saying you ever "get over it"-- I'm saying their unfinished grief made them WAY more clingy than they would have been. BUT I really don't think they were nuts, and I can't go there with you on the mom being "nuts" or "out of her mind", definitely not. Did she say that one thing? Yes. Was Brynn only 6 months old and unable to understand? Yes. Dude. The mom was overenthusiastic, that's it. She was SUPER lovely at all times, warm, and VERY kind to Bethenny. They agreed with Bethenny that B and Jason needed to create their own traditions. Hence, first Thanksgiving was at Bethenny's pad (and Bethenny had a melt down over the oven). But the mom did so many cool things to show her support for Bethenny, they attended Bethenny's talks in Philly and Jersey, all kinds of stuff. The mom is not a crazy biotch. Just the mom and the dad were too clingy b/c they didn't do as much grieving as their hearts still had in them for their lost son. And Jason enabled them a bit by visiting all the time. he freaked out on Bethenny for wanting to set boundaries with his folks, because he was part of their enablement-- Jason needed to take a step back, too, but he was too enmeshed with his parents' grief and his desire to save them from it. A little GOOD therapy with the whole gang could've done them all a lot of good. Anyhow, had to say my piece on the mom, cause she was a sweet lady (her flaws duly noted). And if we compare with Brynn's OTHER grandparents, uh... don't even get started on that, right?

First - a correction for the record-- 1) Jason was always working. He was a pharmaceutical salesman. He was making decent enough dough-- just nowhere near Bethenny SG level dough. He owned his own condo, but she thought it was a dump (we never saw it). Bethenny just viewed his job as a job, and Jason admitted he hadn't found his passion. She judged him for it pretty relentlessly, harped on him to find his passion, and ultimately worked on him to get him to agree to work for her. I was never clear on if he quit his job when he started working for her, but with all her traveling out to LA for "work"-- Skating with the Stars, then the Bethenny show, I don't see how he could have been an involved dad and kept the sales gig anyhow. Really surprises me how some on here accept Bethenny's story about how awful Jason was. Yeah, they didn't always get along, but here's my take on it. I was a HUGE Bethenny fan back in the day, and I loved how she got the success, found the man, got the baby, and was creating this seemingly great life for herself. But as time has passed, Ramona's words on the Brooklyn Bridge Walk have proved prophetic-- Bethenny had Jason, but she messed that up, too. Jason was a legitimately nice guy. Bethenny is incapable of intimacy, and she's addicted to fame. I thought Jason and his VERY kind, warm family were Bethenny's chance to finally experience that in her life. She just has never tackled her damage on a deep enough level-- her therapist is, sad to say, a pretty pathetic sell out willing to see her on TV, and who dreamed up that stupid sailboat "couples workshop" that was a dumb idea to begin with and ended up as a boating nightmare. Anyhow, Bethenny's big flaw is that she has let herself use her fame and success to medicate her inability to maintain intimate relationships. Her best friends, such as they are-- e.g. Teri-- aren't that close to her. IMO they stick around b/c Bethenny is famous now, they give her more of their time than they would b/c of her fame. B/c friendship with Bethenny is PRETTY one-sided. And Carole is scared of her. Bethenny's only "friends" are people who work for her, need to suck up for her-- they're people who are dependent on her in some way. Brynn is definitely going to try to show her mother that Jason and his family are lovely, and Bethenny will blame that on Jason's family brainwashing Brynn. It won't be true, but that's the only way Bethenny can see the world. She understands power,but not love.

I hear you, I just think she was crying because she didn't want to have to lose/ break up with Brooks, and admitting the truth would mean she would have to do just that.

Notice their webpage (i.e. the "coming soon" one) STILL says they have "applied" for 501(c)(3) tax status with the IRS, AND that your donation is tax deductible! Dude, if the IRS hasn't approved your 501(c)(3) tax status application yet, no one's donations are tax deductible!!!! Not yet anyhow (hopefully never). EVEN THEIR FREAKING 'COMING SOON' WEBPAGE IS FRAUDULENT! unbelievable. Sorry for yelling, everyone.

Beaker73, you ROCK.

I am with you 100%. Thank you, well said!

I hate that you're right, but you're so, so right! Narcissism is probably a required personality trait if you're going to excel as a Real Housewife.

My mother has borderline personality disorder; it's something I'm very familiar with. I honestly believe Aviva has a personality disorder. We can certainly disagree.